1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hunting equipment and accessories. More particularly, the present invention relates to a gun gurney or safety device for transporting firearms, rifles, shot guns, archery bows and equipment from ground level to an elevated hunting position.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Throughout the realm of hunting activities, sportsmen and sportswomen have commonly encountered difficulty in transporting their firearms such as rifles or shot guns, from the ground to a hunting stand or an elevated position. Techniques used in the prior art include many unsafe and cumbersome procedures. For example, some hunters tie a rope to their firearm, climbing to their respective hunting stand or elevated position with the rope in hand, and thereafter lifting the firearm or archery bow or other hunting equipment with the rope, running the risk that an expensive firearm may be damaged and/or the firearm may accidentally discharge while being juggled about during this lifting operation. In addition other hunters attempt to climb to the hunting stand with a firearm thrown over the shoulder, consequently subjecting the hunter to the risk of damaging the firearm while climbing, dropping the firearm or perhaps more seriously, having the firearm inadvertently discharge or subjecting the hunter to potential injury should he or she fall upon the firearm while climbing to the hunting stand.
Many states now allow hunting from elevated positions, that is above ground level such as through the use of tree stands or elevated platforms. When a hunter engages in this sport it is necessary for the hunter to safely and easily move himself or herself, firearms, archery bows and equipment to and from the elevated position. Several prior devices are known which allows a hunter to climb while carrying their equipment by way of slings, backpacks or simply holding equipment in their hands. All of these methods are dangerous and cumbersome. It is recognized that a safer approach to hoisting firearms and hunting equipment to an elevated position is to leave all equipment on the ground and attach the equipment to a rope or cord. The hunter can then hoist the equipment from the elevated platform or tree stand. This would allow the hunter to have both hands free for climbing to and from the elevated position. Simply attaching a rope or cord to a firearm often resulted in damage to the equipment and in addition put the hunter's safety at risk. In other occasions firearms have been tied off through the trigger housing allowing the gun to flip over and discharge. Hunters most often go to and from their hunting spots in the dark or in near dark conditions. Darkness and cold weather interfere with the hunter's ability to properly tie a firearm or archery bow for safe lifting from the ground to an elevated position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,382 entitled “RIFLE LIFT” issued to Jerry Patent Justice on Oct. 7, 1975. It discloses a safety rifle lift for transporting a rifle between the ground and a hunting stand while releasably holding the rifle in an upright and safe position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,803 entitled “UNIVERSAL FIREARM BOW AND PACK HOIST-LINE” issued on Oct. 12, 1997 to Henry Michael Tacoronte. It discloses a hoisting device for supporting an elongate firearm or archery bow. The hoist line has a snap hook for attachment to a rifle trigger guard and a fixed barrel engagement loop, each permanently attached to an elongated hoist line near its bottom end. The trigger guard snap hook and barrel engagement loop are sized and spaced apart to maintain an attached rifle in a vertical orientation when a device is hoisted from above. Modifications to the hoist line includes a bow engaging strap and string engaging strap for the temporary attachment of an archery bow adjacent to an attached firearm.
Other devices, similar in nature, are known including U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,404 entitled “HOISTING HARNESS FOR A FIREARM” which issued on Feb. 1, 2000 to Michael Pasquale and U.S. Design Pat. No. 446,839 entitled “SLEEVE ENCLOSURE FOR LIFTING A HUNTING FIREARM OR BOW” which issued on Aug. 21, 2001 to Raymond Cantrell. The problems with the prior art lift devices as disclosed in the aforementioned patents are that the devices are most often large, cumbersome and difficult to use as well as to maintain.